Venture Investments Near 10 Trillion Won by Q3 This Year

Venture Investments Reach 9.8 Trillion Won, Fund Formation Hits 9.7 Trillion Won
Both See Double-Digit Growth Year-on-Year (13% and 17%)

New venture investments for the first three quarters of this year have been tallied at nearly 10 trillion won.

On November 13, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the trends in new venture investments and venture fund formation for the third quarter of 2025. New venture investments amounted to 9.8 trillion won, marking a 13.1% increase compared to the same period last year. Notably, third-quarter performance reached 4 trillion won, up 32% from the previous quarter and 28% from the same period last year, surpassing the 4 trillion won mark in a single quarter for the first time since the pandemic.

When analyzing investment by company age, investments in startups within seven years of founding and in later-stage companies both increased evenly by 13.1%, indicating that investments are expanding across all stages of company growth.

The scale of venture fund formation rose to 9.7 trillion won, a 17.3% increase year-on-year, marking the first rebound since 2022 after a period of decline. The private sector accounted for 83% of all investors, driving the upward trend in fund formation. Investments from pension funds and mutual aid associations reached a record high of 837 billion won.

According to an analysis of investments by venture capital companies and partnerships, as of the third quarter, 13 non-metropolitan companies had attracted investments of at least 10 billion won. These included five bio companies such as Cellakbio, Trioor, and SovaGen, and five electric, machinery, and equipment companies such as Lion Robotics and Nexensor. These companies are generally recognized for their advanced technology and growth potential, which is believed to have attracted large-scale investments.

Han Seong-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, stated, "It is a noteworthy achievement that both venture investment and fund formation have increased by double digits. Particularly in non-metropolitan areas, a variety of industries such as bio and robotics are growing, so it is necessary to further strengthen local investment to expand the industrial base." She added, "The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will continue this momentum and prepare a plan within the year to foster Korea as one of the world’s top four venture nations, aiming to create a 40 trillion won venture investment market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.